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Context  Part of a interdisciplinary project  Circulation of metaphors across different discourse types Political discourse Media discourse Citizens’ discourse  Impact of metaphors on the citizens’ perception and comprehension of political processes

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Belgian politics in 2 slides  : unpreceded political crisis  06/2010 – 12/2011: 541days to form a federal government  Diverging views on the future of the country  Flanders wants more autonomy for tis further development  Wallonia => reluctance Breaking solidarity mechanisms Dislocation of the country

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Study 1: citizen’s discourse “It enables one partially to study the recontextualization and transformation of specific political concepts and identity narratives which are expressed by politicians, taught in educational systems (e.g. by teachers and in schoolbooks), promoted in the mass-media, etc., and which are expressed in everyday situations and interactions” (De Cillia, Reisigl, and Wodak 1999, ).De Cillia, Reisigl, and Wodak 1999,

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Study 1: results  Two main source domains  B ELGIAN FEDERALISM IS A MACHINE B ELGIAN FEDERALISM IS A MACHINE THAT DOES NOT WORK  B ELGIAN FEDERALISM IS A MARRIAGE

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Study 1: results  B ELGIAN FEDERALISM IS A MARRIAGE  T HE STATE IS A FAMILY  T HE FEDERAL ENTITIES ARE PERSONS  Family : wel entrenched source domain to talk about politics (Lakoff 2002, De Landtsheer 2009)  Used by different citizens than those who use the machine metaphor  Quite explicit (deliberate) use of the metaphor

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Study 1: results  Summary  B ELGIAN FEDERALISM IS A MARRIAGE Different conceptions of marriage //different representations of the future of federalism  B ELGIAN FEDERALISM IS A MACHINE ( THAT IS NOT WORKING ) Negative perception of the working of Belgian federalism System should be adapted

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Study 2: data & method  Political parties’ manifestos (2007 federal elections)  Document par excellence that states the mean position of the party External function (towards the electorate and the other political actors) Internal function (to ensure the candidates share the same positions)  Easily comparable texts

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Study 2: results  Family domain  No direct reference to the idea of marriage  Some metaphors indirectly refer to the idea of two partners living together Toucher à la sécurité sociale dans ses éléments les plus essentiels, c’est toucher à l’identité nationale. C’est remettre en cause le sens de l’existence commune au sein d’un même Etat (CDH) To affect social security is to affect national identity. It is undermining the meaning of living together in the same state Il relève que la réforme fédérale de l’Etat a permis à des communautés et des régions de faire valoir leurs aspirations légitimes mais qu’elle ne doit pas avoir pour objet ou pour effet de compromettre la poursuite d’une existence commune (CDH) The reform of the federal state should not compromise the pursuit of a common existence ils sont du reste convaincus de la nécessité du dialogue entre Nord et Sud du pays pour la poursuite de notre destinée collective. (Ecolo) They are convinced of the necessity of a dialogue between the Northern and the Suthern part of the country for the pursuit of our mutual destiny

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Study 2: results  Family domain  No direct reference to the idea of marriage  Some metaphors indirectly suggest the idea of two partners living together Toucher à la sécurité sociale dans ses éléments les plus essentiels, c’est toucher à l’identité nationale. C’est remettre en cause le sens de l’existence commune au sein d’un même Etat (CDH) To affect social security is to affect national identity. It is undermining the meaning of living together in the same state Il relève que la réforme fédérale de l’Etat a permis à des communautés et des régions de faire valoir leurs aspirations légitimes mais qu’elle ne doit pas avoir pour objet ou pour effet de compromettre la poursuite d’une existence commune (CDH) The reform of the federal state should not compromise the pursuit of a common existence ils sont du reste convaincus de la nécessité du dialogue entre Nord et Sud du pays pour la poursuite de notre destinée collective. (Ecolo) They are convinced of the necessity of a dialogue between the Northern and the Suthern part of the country for the pursuit of our mutual destiny Kiest men voor een conservatief, niet-ondernemend Wallonië met haar traditionele socialistische politiek, dan moeten de wegen van Vlaanderen en Wallonië scheiden. (LDD) If we opt for conservative, not-undertaking Wallonia with her traditional socialist politics, then Flanders and Wallonia should go their own way

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Discussion  How Belium is described in political parties’ manifestos and perceived by citizens  Circulation of metaphors?  Some metaphors are used exclusively in one of corpus War domain, sport domain (manifestos) Federalism is a marriage (citizen)  Some metaphors are used in both corpora In the same way Machine that is not working In different ways Path-metaphors

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Further work  Quantify the results  Make comparisons more accurate  Expand our data to  Media discourse  Manifestos for the elections of 2010  Manifestos for the elections of 2014  Other types of citizen discourse (Web-forums, Twitter,…)  …